D-Wave to Commercialize Public Cloud Quantum Computing by Mid-2018

February 27, 2018

Quantum computing is one of the more interesting developments in the world of technology to date. It offers unparalleled computing power, yet it also poses a threat to public cryptography. As such, it will impact various cryptocurrencies in the future. D-Wave is now looking to bring quantum computing to the masses, which will be something well worth keeping an eye on.

D-Wave has a Bold Plan

It is rather commendable to see a Canadian startup looking to bring quantum computing to the masses. Given the hardware and software required to make use of quantum computing, it is something most consumers will never be able to access. If D-Wave is to bebelieved, that situation will come to change very soon. More specifically, the company wants to build a processor designed for quantum computing and make it accessible to regular consumers.

Doing so will not be easy by any means. It seems D-Wave Systems’ CEO, Vern Brownell, has overseen the development of a new quantum computing process for some time now. Brownell is currently meeting with banks and major investors to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. His company will venture into the world of public cloud computing and offer quantum computing services to the general public. It’s a bold plan, but it just might work given enough time and money.

Even thoughquantum computingis nothing new under the sun, the technology is mainly used by research labs. General consumers have never accessed the full power of quantum computing, partially because the cost of doing so is astronomically high. At the same time, most regular users don’t even have a use for such power computing solutions, as it will not necessarily make their social media profile load faster or improve their Google results.

That doesn’t mean the public isn’t worthy of accessing quantum computing resources, though. Getting this technology into the hands of everyday developers will undoubtedly lead to some interesting breakthroughs over time. It is evident this technology should not be underestimated, as it can solve a lot of real-world problems. D-Wave hopes to make quantum computing accessible to the public by this summer.

Doing so will require the help of a public cloud service provider. For now, it seems Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are all on the shortlist, although no final decisions have been made. If all things go according to plan, this new service will be available on all major public cloud platforms in the future. For now, there is no official timeline as to when these developments will take place, as the negotiations are still ongoing.

The big question is whether or not D-Wave’s new service will prove to be athreatto most cryptocurrencies. There have been multiple discussions regarding quantum computing’s impact on various cryptocurrencies in recent years. So far, there seems to be some genuine concern, but most people don’t expect this technology to become a major threat for another 10 to 20 years.